Antiaircraft gun



Jan. 4, 1944. v p, BQHAN 2,338,682

ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS Filed Oct. 21, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 4, 1944.

P. J. BOHAN ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS Filed Oct. 21, 1942 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 4, 1944 UNIT NT QFFEC en'rmmcaerrenn Patrick J. Bohan, Sailor Springs, Ill., assignor of ghlirty per cent to J. E. Pixley, East Sit-Louis, l

Application October 21, 1942, Serial No. 462,849

4 Claims.

the shell extractor, whereby the operation thereof may be easily and quickly brought about by a person operating a single hand lever, the latteralso governing the distance the breech block may rotate and slide and to further reduce the number of parts over that employed in the gun of my patent above referred to, so that the manufacturing cost will be lower and to be less apt to become out of order.

With these and other objects in View as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan View, partly in section, illustrating a gun constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the gun ready to be fired, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the breech block in a locked position.

Figure 8 is a perspective View illustrating the extractor operating fork.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates the breech housing, the support of which may be in accordance with that shown in my patent heretofore referred to or if desired some other form of support may be employed. The breech housing is of cylindrical shape provided at one end with a removable end wall ii and its opposite end is closed permanently by a head I provided with a series of bores in which are mounted the buttends of gun barrels 8 preferably five in number and tied together by a spider, as shown at 9. The bores of the head I. also provide chambers for the reception of shells 9' which extend into the barrels for. a limited distance, .the rims of the shells being positioned outwardly of the inner face of the head.

The housing 5 is provided with an opening ill to permit the shells to vbe placed in'the head and the barrels and to be removed therefrom after being fired. Opposed curved spaced flanges .H are for-medon the inner wall of the housing adjacent the head i and are employed for looking a breech block l2 in firing position and to permit the breech block to be released from firing .posi: tion.

The breech block 12 is in the form of a sleeve i3 having a sliding fit with the housing .5 and one end thereof is closed by a head (i l of elongated formation, as shown in Figure .6, so that said head may be moved to lie between the flanges-l l and the head 7 for securing the breech block H2 in firing position. The shape of the head 14 will allow the breech block 12 toslide away from the head I when in the position, as shown in Figure 6, for the purpose of exposing the inner endsof the gun barrels tovpermit shells to be either placed therein or removed therefrom.

Firing pins l5 are slidably mounted in the head M and are grouped toalign .withthedetonators of the shells when the breech block '12 is in firing position. The firing pins lliare secured to aplate It on which is secured a rod ll slidably supported in brackets 15 mounted on the inner walls of the breech block 12. A coil spring .18 is mounted on the rod ll and bearsagainst one of the brackets l5 anda collar i9 is secured on said rod for urging the firing pins normally into a-position of being spaced sl htly from. the detonator ends of the shells when the breech block I2 is in firing position. The sliding mover ment of the firing .pins .in the stated direction is limited by the collar 19 abutting one Of the brackets l5.

An extractor 20 isprovidedfor the shellsand includesa plate2l slidably mounted on thefiring pins and interposed between the plate 2| andthe head .lll on the firing pins are coil springs 12 acting to urge the platezl to the left in Figurefi. Hookeshaped elements 23 are pivoted to the plate H and operate in slots 24 formed in the head 1.4 and recesses '25 'formedin the head 7. The hookshaped elements 23 are engaged by spring pressed plungers 26 carried by the head land aCtingtD cause the hookeshaped elements ;to engage the rims of the shells when theyenter the recesses 25 and during the movement of the plate :2I to the right in Figure 2. The plate 2| is provided with a slot 27 in which is pivotally mounted a hand lever 28 that extends through an opening 29 in the sleeve [3 of the breech block and through an L-shaped slot 30 provided in the housing 5. A substantially U-shaped fork 31 is pivotally mounted in the slot 2'! of the plate 2! and engages one face of the latter and has formed. thereon a tapered lug 32 fitting in a notch 33 of a pivoted lever 34, the pivot of which is indicated at 35. The lever 34 is pivoted on the head l4 and the pivoted end thereof has a hook 36 engaging in a hook $1 on the pivoted end of the hand lever 28 so that when the hand lever is pulled rearwardly on its pivot in Figure 2 the lever 34 will be caused to rock on its pivot and impart pivotal movement to the fork 3! which in turn shoves the plate 2! forwardly in Figure 2 causing the hook shaped elements 23 to engage with the rims of the shell.

The hand lever 23 operating in the L-shaped slot 36 of the housing will govern the rotary and sliding movements of the breech block. When the hand lever 28 is positioned in the branch A of the slot 38', the breech block will be in firing position and the hook-shaped elements 23 in retracted position. When the hand lever 28 is moved in the branch A of the slot 39 toward the branch B, the breech block l2 will be caused to rotate in the housing 5 disengaging the head i from the flanges l l and moving the hand lever in the branch 13 of the slot 30 the breech block will be caused to slide to the left in Figure 2. The pull made on the hand lever 28 to slide the breech block to the left in Figure 2, causes the hand lever to pivot and operate the extractor so that the hook-shaped elements engaging the shells will extract the latter from the barrels in the head i so that on the sliding movement of the breech block to the left in Figure 2 the extracted shells may gravitate through the opening it.

A firing mechanism 35 is mounted in the rear end of the breech block I2 for the purpose of operating the firing pins and is automatically moved into cocked position during the rearward movement of the breech block so as to be ready to be released on the breech block returning to firing position requiring only the operation of a trigger .31 for its actuation.

- The firing mechanism 355 is in the form of journaled spaced connected plates 38, the journal thereof being in the form of a shaft 39 carried by the breech block. Formed on one of the plates are ears all and ll. The plates 38 are driven in a counter-clockwise direction by a clock-type spring d2 secured at one end to the shaft 39 which is fixed and having its other end secured to the plates 38. The ear 4! is adapted to strike the rod H for actuating the firing pin under the influence of the spring 42. To tension the spring 62, the car 40 engages a stop 43 in the housing 5 when the breech block is moved rearwardly causingthe plates 38 to rotate in a clockwise direction and are held in this position or cocked position by a leaf type spring 44 mounted in the breech block and engaging an ear on one of the plates 38. The trigger 31 which is in the form of a slidable pin engages the spring 44 to free the plates 38 to be driven in a counterclockwise direction by the spring 42 for the actuating of the firing pins. The trigger 31 operates in an L-shaped slot provided in the housing 5 and indicated by the character 45.

The plunger. of the trigger 31 is spring infiuenced, as shown at 41, requiring the operator of the gun only to press the plunger inwardly in order to free the firing mechanism 36.

The stop 43 is in the form of a bracket 48 supported on the end wall 6 of the housing 5 and has on its free end a pivoted member 49 lying in the path of the ear 40 of the plates 38 so that when the breech block I2 is moved rearwardly the member 49 engages the ear 4t and rotates the plates 38 in a clockwise direction to engage the ear thereof with the spring member 34 which is suitably mounted in the breech block. On the reverse movement of the breech block, the ear 40 may travel free of the member 49 due to its ivotal mounting on the bracket 48.

In operation to load the gun with shells, the hand lever is moved in the branch B of the slot 30 to cause a rearward sliding movement of the breech block so that the head I i passes the opening H3 whereby the shells may be readily placed into the barrels of the gun as well as the bores of the head i. This rearward movement of the breech block operates the firing mechanism into a cooked position. The hand lever is then shoved forwardly in the branch B of the slot 30 until the branch A is reached. The hand lever is then swung into the branch A causing a rotation of the breech block bringing the head l4 thereof into locking engagement with the flanges H and the breech block in firing position, that is the head It contacting the head 7. The firing pins are then aligned with the shells in the head i and barrels 8. To fire the gun the trigger is operated and on the operation thereof the firing mechanism 36 is freed so as to drive the rod I! forwardly causing the firing pins to strike the detonators of the shells.

To unload the gun after being fired the opera- .tor moves the hand lever 28 through the branch A to the forward end of the branch B of the slot 35] unlocking the breech block from the head 1 so that on a movement of the hand lever into the branch B the hand lever will pivot actuating the extractor to bring the hook-shaped elements into engagement with the shells so that on the Sliding of the breech block rearwardly the shells will be extracted and the firing mechanism cocked.

Thus it will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings that the present arrangement of parts has greatly simplified the operation of the gun over that shown in my U. S. Letters Patent before mentioned, permitting the gun to be more economically constructed and less apt to become out of order. Also this construction requires less elfort on the part of the operator for the operation of the gun than that required in the gun shown in said patent.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a gun, a breech housing having an L- shaped slot and including a bore and head at one end of said bore for supporting gun barrels in communication with the bore for receiving shells, a breech block slidably and rotatably mounted in the bore of the housing and having a head to abut the shells, firing pins carried by the head of the breech block, a firing means for operating the firing pins, an extractor slidablysupported by the firing pins and including hookshaped elements slidably supported by the head of the breech block to engage with the shells, an operating means for the extractor and including a hand lever for the actuation thereof and extending through the breech block and through the L-shaped slot for the rotation and sliding movement of the breech block, flanges formed on the housing, said head of the breech block being of a shape to engage with the flanges on the rotation of the breech block in one direction for locking the latter against sliding movement and to become free of the flanges on the rotation of the breech block by the handle in another direction.

2. In a gun, a breech housing having an L- shaped slot and including a bore, gun barrels supported by the housing and in communication with the bore to receive shells, a breech block slidably and rotatably mounted in the bore of the housing, a head carried by the breech block to abut the shells, a firing means for the shells carried by the head, shell extracting means carried by the firing means and including a plate with hook-shaped elements pivoted thereto and slidable in the head to engage the shells, a pivotally mounted handle in the breech block and connected to the extracting means for the operation of the latter on pivotal movement of said handle and the latter extending through the L- shaped slot for the rotation of the breech block in either direction and for the sliding of the breech block in either direction.

3. In a gun, a breech housing having an L- shaped slot and including a bore, gun barrels mounted in the housing in communication with the bore to receive shells, a breech block including a cylindrical sleeve slidable in the bore and a head at one end thereof, said head being of elongated formation, flanges in the housing to be engaged and disengaged by the head during the rotation of the breech block in opposite directions, firing pins slidable in the head, a rod connected to the firing pins and slidably supported in the sleeve of the breech block and spring influenced in one direction, a spring operated firing means in the sleeve of the breech block to engage with the rod for operating the firing pins against the shells, a plate slidable on the firing pins, said head having slots, hookshaped elements pivoted to said plate and operating in the slots to engage the shells, a fork pivoted on the plate and engaging one face thereof, a hand lever pivoted to said plate and extending through the L-shaped slot, a pivoted lever connecting the hand lever to said fork, said hand lever being employed for movement in either branch of the slot for the rotation and sliding of the breech block in the bore and for the actuation of the hook-shaped elements into engagement with the shells by the pivotal movement of the hand lever during its initial movement in one branch of the slot for the sliding of the breech block in one direction.

4. In a gun, a breech housing having an L- shaped slot and including a bore, gun barrels mounted in the housing in communication with the bore to receive shells, a breech block including a cylindrical sleeve slidable in the bore and a head at one end thereof, said head being of elongated formation, flanges in the housing to be engaged and disengaged by the head during the rotation of the breech block in opposite directions, firing pins slidable in the head, a rod connected to the firing pins and slidably supported in the sleeve of the breech block and spring influenced in one direction, a spring operated firing means in the sleeve of the breech block to engage with the rod for operating the firing pins against the shells, a plate slidable on the firing pins, said head having slots, hook-shaped elements pivoted to said plate and operating in the slots to engage the shells, a fork pivoted on the plate and engaging one face thereof, a hand lever pivoted to said plate and extending through the L-shaped slot, a pivoted lever connecting the hand lever to said fork, said hand lever being employed for movement in either branch of the slot for the rotation and sliding of the breech block in the bore and for the actuation of the hook-shaped elements into engagement with the shells by the pivotal movement of the hand lever during its initial movement in one branch of the slot for the sliding of the breech block in one direction, and means mounted in the housing to engage the firing means for the cooking of the latter on the sliding movement of the breech block in one direction by the hand lever.

PATRICK J. BOHAN. 

